The LASIK Blog

The LASIK Debate Continues on CNN

Last week's LASIK debate aired on CNN.  It pitted ophthalmologist Stephen Slade vs former FDA official Morris Waxler.  While Dr. Slade did a great job in defending LASIK's clinical track record, I don't think he addressed some of Waxler's false claims adequately, including:

• "only 60 percent can get rid of their glasses and contact lenses"
• "There's -- the failure rate if you calculate a failure rate based on FDA data, and you can se it from the charts I sent to CNN, the failure rate is over 50 percent."
• "18 percent or more suffer from glare halo, dry eyes and similar problems."
• "some of the ophthalmologists who have been responsible for the military adopting these issues have a side business in which they conduct -- they perform Lasik surgery. So, they've profited mightily by this."

These statistics are simply wrong.  They need to be addressed and discredited!  Here are some of the statistics that I have previously quoted from USAEyes CORE survey:

• 99% report quality of life as expected, better, or much better
• 98% day vision as expected, better, or much better
• 98% no complications or issues are seldom problematic
• 98% would recommend surgery to family and friends.
• 97% would have surgery again, knowing what they know now
• 96% wear corrective lenses as often as expected, less, or much less than expected
• 96% report post op vision without lenses as expected, better, or much better than expected when compared to preop vision with lenses
• 96% report overall quality of vision as expected, better, or much better than expected
• 91% no complications at any time
• 91% night vision as expected, better, or much better
• 7% complications seldom problematic
  – yet 91% of these same patients would have surgery again
• 2% complications frequent or always problematic
  – yet 22% of f these same patients would have surgery again

LASIK is too successful a procedure to be tarnished by false claims.  Granted, theree are complications with LASIK, as there are with any surgical procedure, however, we need to dispute Waxler's claims and not let them go unchecked.  We also need to know what motives fuel Waxler's false accusations!

Here is a copy of the CNN transcript for those interested: Download Rethinking The Safety of LASIK

Balanced Reporting: CNN to Air LASIK Debate This Morning

I have received a large response to my post last week that criticized Diane Sawyer's one-sided coverage of LASIK.  I urge everyone to tune in, Tivo, or DVR this morning's CNN Newsroom. 

This morning, CNN’s Kyra Phillips will talk with Morris Waxler and Dr. Stephen Slade who performed the first Lasik surgery in the U.S. at 10:15am ET on CNN Newsroom. We want you to weigh in on this conversation… Do you think Lasik surgery is safe and effective? Tell us what you think and we’ll read some of your comments during the show.

Dr. Slade is a very respected LASIK surgeon, and should do a good job in providing a true assessment of the risks and benefits associated with LASIK.  I also hope some light can be shed into how Waxler came up with his "statistics", and his motivations.

I plan on commenting further on this issue after it airs and will hopefully have a link to share with you all.  In the meantime, I urge everyone to post a comment on the CNN link.

PRETTY IN PINK: THIS OCTOBER, HAVE LASIK AND JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER

One person is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes in the United States.

One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.

Together we can help fight back against breast cancer.

This October, in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, EyeCare 20/20 is gearing up to participate for its fifth year in Lee National Denim Day on Friday, October 8, 2010. his grassroots program has raised more than $70 million for breast cancer research.Employees at EyeCare 20/20 are encouraged to wear denim in exchange for a donation to the Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Funds raised support some of the most promising treatment and early detection research in the country, as well as the grassroots advocacy work of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. 

Donate $37.50 per eye to our Lee National Denim Day’s Team Page.   EyeCare 20/20 will match it, and extend a $375.00 per eye discount towards your LASIK.  So, a $75 donation turns into a $150 donation and $750 off the LASIK!  Just bring in your contribution receipt for the discount, its that simple.

Please, make your donation and then pass this link along to a friend or family member who is interested in LASIK and have them do the same, and then encourage them to do the same, get the picture?!

Blog it, tweet it, post about it on Facebook, tell your friends. The more people involved, the more change we can make. 

This offer will end on Halloween, so please hurry!

One-Sided Reporting: Diane Sawyer of ABC News Covers LASIK With Bias Reporting

In some of the most one-sided journalism that I have seen, Diane Sawyer and ABC's World News Tonight  reported on the safety of LASIK surgery.  The story was based on an interview with Morris Waxler, a former FDA official who was involved in the approval process of LASIK in the 1990's. 

I take exception with many points in this story, including:

• Diane Sawyer introduces Waxler as the "official who led the drive to approve the procedure."  As an FDA official, he led no such drive, his job with the FDA would have been to review clinical results and either recommend or strike down LASIK's approval.  He was not involved in the clinical trial process itself.
• The reporter asks Waxler if he would ever recommend LASIK surgery to anyone interested in the procedure. His response, "no, absolutely not."  Although he is introduced as "Dr. Waxler," he is not an MD, he has a PhD.  I would love to know what clinical experience he purports to have.
• Waxler states that people don't understand that LASIK "is not like getting your nails done."  I agree, LASIK is not a manicure, it is surgery.  I think this is certainly conveyed to all of my patients!
• The reports states that "compromised cornea can develop microscopic scar tissue and cause vision problems."  This is simply not true.
• Waxler claims that 50% of LASIK patients have side effects and 33% continue to need glasses or contact lenses.  I do not know where he gets his data, this is simply not true!  If these claims were true, no one would opt for the procedure.

The FDA is in the process of reviewing long term LASIK results.  One study, USAEyes CORE survey, found:

• 99% report quality of life as expected, better, or much better
• 98% day vision as expected, better, or much better
• 98% no complications or issues are seldom problematic
• 98% would recommend surgery to family and friends.
• 97% would have surgery again, knowing what they know now
• 96% wear corrective lenses as often as expected, less, or much less than expected
• 96% report post op vision without lenses as expected, better, or much better than expected when compared to preop vision with lenses
• 96% report overall quality of vision as expected, better, or much better than expected
• 91% no complications at any time
• 91% night vision as expected, better, or much better
• 7% complications seldom problematic
  – yet 91% of these same patients would have surgery again
• 2% complications frequent or always problematic
  – yet 22% of f these same patients would have surgery again

These survey results makes one take pause and wonder where Waxler gets his statistics from and what his motivations might be.  Since retiring from the FDA, Waxler now runs Waxler Regulatory Consultancy, LLC, which "provide consultant services on Food and Drug Agency regulatory issues for the entire life cycle of your medical devices."  One wonders if one of his clients might be an anti-LASIK organization?

R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD, president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Sugeons (ASCRS) has also had something to say about Waxler in the past:

“In summary, your letter is filled with false statements, incorrect citations of the published literature, references that do not fairly represent the existing literature, mischaracterization of a study protocol you have never seen, incorrect reference to outcomes of PRK as if they were for LASIK, citation of results for a laser designed two decades ago as if were representative of modern lasers, mischaracterization of results from older lasers as “better than most,” reference of a graph that does not exist in the reference you cite, and misrepresentations of the actual performance of modern excimer lasers for the correction of refractive errors”

I am a little surprised at World News Tonight for reporting in such a biased manner.  Shame on you, Diane Sawyer!

Here is the story.

Charity: Water 4 Year Anniversary Today

After today's earlier post linking LASIK discounts with Charity: Water, I received this e-mail discussing Charity: Water's 4 year anniversary.  I think You will find it very interesting:

Live Drill: It Doesn't Always Work.

Today is the fourth anniversary of charity: water. Our team spent it in a village called Moale, trying to dig our 200th water project in Central African Republic. We've been in constant contact with our team on the ground throughout the drilling process. Here's an update straight from charity: water founder Scott Harrison:

It was going to be an amazing story, and charity: water’s 200th completed project in the country. The people of Moale had been waiting for water for more than a decade. After two failed attempts to reach clean water many years ago, our local partner ICDI brought in a new drilling rig that could dig up to 700 feet. Unfortunately, they never made it that far. In what was by far the most challenging drill we’ve ever witnessed, the team came up short after 30 straight hours when the second borehole caved in.

It was a heartbreaking and messy day. We'd hoped to show you footage of a joyful village celebrating a successful drill, but we didn't achieve that today. We’re committed to transparency at charity: water, so instead, our Live Drill video will show you the reality and challenges we face on the ground.

Tomorrow, we'll start drilling in another nearby Bayaka village. We haven't given up on Moale. For now, the people there will have to wait a little bit longer for their well -- but we will be back. In the meantime, with your help, we can provide clean and safe drinking water for every Bayaka through this year's September Campaign.

-- Scott Harrison

See : Water Campaign Extended Thru September; Donate & Save $1,000 of LASIK!

Last month we started our See : Water campaign.  The idea was simple, donate $100 to Charity : Water, EyeCare 20/20 matches the donation, and receive  $1,000 off a bilateral LASIK procedure!  The results have been incredible, with over $3,500 raised for this worthy cause. 

The campaign was slated to end yesterday, Labor Day, but because of the overwhelming response, I have decided to extend See : Water through the month of September. This will coincide with Charity: Water's "This September Birthdays can Change the World" campaign.  Since my birthday is in June, and not September, this is my way of doing my part.

Please pass this offer on to your friends and family, the more we can raise, the better!  And if you are so inclined, please donate here.  If your donation is going to be for the LASIK discount, be sure to mention it in the comments section!

LASIK for the Gold Athlete Updates: Less then 2 Years Till London!!

With the 2010 Winter Olympics but a recent memory, our LASIK for the Gold program has been very quiet of late.  Just to recap, this program provides free LASIK surgery to our Olympic athletes in an effort to afford them the best oportunity for Gold.  The 2010 Games proved to be a success with our athletes taking home seven medals!

I thought I would share what some of our 2012 summer athletes have recently been up to or said about their experience:

Table Tennis sensation, Samson Dubina dropped us an e-mail last week:

Dear Dr. Silverman and the staff at eyecare 20/20,
 
I wanted to update you on my life and training.  My last tournament was the North American Championship.  I finished #6 in the continent which boosted my world ranking 80 positions and raised my national ranking.  Right now I'm training for the US National Championships (last year I finished 2nd in the country.)  In preparation, I'll be having one of the best Japanese players living out my house and training me 6 hours/day.
 
Thanks for you support!  I'll keep you posted when I have a competition in NJ sometime!
 

Samson Dubina

On Sunday, pole vaulter, Melinda Owen, wrote to her FaceBook Fans:

When I head to bed, and then again when I wake up. . . I am constantly reminded of how grateful I am to Cary Silverman for doing Lasik on me. His generosity really has made a huge impact on my life!!!o

BMXer, Arielle Martin responded to her with:

I'm with you buddy, nothing like waking up in the morning seeing clear and perfect! Dr. Silverman rocks! Hope your killing it over there...

Less than 2 years till the Summer Games in London.  Things will begin picking up here.  We are all looking forward to more Olympic glory!!

See Water: Donate $100, Have it Matched, and Save $1,000 on LASIK

Last week I posted about Charity:Water and its manifesto:

It’s hard not to think about water today. In the western world, we face growing concerns about our stewardship of the world’s most precious resource. There’s talk of shortages, evidence of reservoirs and aquifers drying up, and of course, plenty of people who simply don’t care.

But forget about us.

Most of us have never really been thirsty. We’ve never had to leave our houses and walk 5 miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out. Clean. Yet there are a billion people on the planet who don’t have clean water.
It’s hard to imagine what a billion people looks like really, but one in eight might be easier. One in eight people in our world don’t have access to the most basic of human needs. Something we can’t imagine going 12 hours without.
Here, we’d like to introduce you to a few of those billion people. They are very real, and they need our help. They didn’t choose to be born into a village where the only source of water is a polluted swamp. And we didn’t choose to be born in a country where even the homeless have access to clean water and a toilet.
We invite you to put yourself in their shoes. Follow them on their daily journey. Carry 80 pounds of water in yellow fuel cans. Dig with their children in sand for water. Line up at a well and wait 8 hours for a turn.
Now, make a decision to help. We’re not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person, we know how to help millions.

Start by helping one.

What a worthwhile cause.  Last week I mentioned that EyeCare 20/20 will donate $50 for every LASIK procedure we perform through Labor Day.  I have decided to take it a step further:

See : Water

To encourage others to donate, in addition to the $50 per eye that we are donating, EyeCare 20/20 will also give a $500 discount per eye for every $50 donated by our patients before surgery.  We are encouraging our patients, both past, present, and future, to get their friends who are considering LASIK involved as well.  Here is a copy of an e-mail blast going out to all out patients, please pass it on:

SEE: THE GOOD IN WATER

 

Did you know? Right now, almost a billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. 

That's one in eight of us. 

Charity: Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 

They use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need.  Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years!

Right now, EyeCare 20/20 is partnering with our friend Andy Sernowitz and the folks at GasPedal to use the power of recommendations and referrals to bring clean, safe drinking water to developing nations, we call it See: Water.

Donate $50 per eye to Charity: Water now through Labor Day and EyeCare 20/20 will match it, and extend a $500.00 per eye discount towards LASIK*. 

So pass this water bottle and coupon along to a friend or family member who is interested in LASIK and have them do the same, and then encourage them to do the same, get the picture?! Blog it, tweet it, post about it on Facebook, tell your friends. The more people involved, the more change we can make.

For more information about Charity: Water and for donation information, log on to: www.mycharitywater.org/wom 

*LASIK discount maximum not to exceed $1000.00- $500 per eye. Not to be combined with any other coupon or discount. Offer expires 9/6/10. Proof of donation amount/ receipt required to obtain discount.

Get LASIK and Help Build a Well: The Charity Water Project

Andy Sernovitz is a friend of mine who runs an excellent conference called "The How to be Great at Word of Mouth Marketing Conference".  The next conference is next week on July 20 in NYC.  I have worked with Andy in the past and highly recommend this conference.  In conjunction with this conference, Andy is attempting to raise $50,000 for Charity Water

Right now, almost a billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water.  That's one in eight of us.  charity:water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.  They use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need.  Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years!

Watch this video, I am sure you will be enlightened and moved:

In an attempt to help Andy to reach his goal to raise $50,000, EyeCare 20/20 will donate $50 for every LASIK procedure that we preform from today through Labor Day.  I also invite any of our patients or readers to donate directly towards Andy's campaign.

 

Colbert Pokes Fun at Board Certification & LASIK

Stephen Colbert had a great show yesterday, poking fun at Rand Paul's board certification in his own National Board of Ophthalmology instead of the American Board of Ophthalmology.  He then "performed" LASIK on his intern.  It was very funny!!

BTW, I am Board Certified in the ABO, and would love to do the intern's and Colbert's LASIK!  Hey Stephen, give me a call, my office is not far from Montclair, we already have the US Speedskating connection thru LASIK for the Gold, and I will do it for free!!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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